Can I Join You Now?
by TheMuncher101
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia,Princess of Crocus,finds her city in ashes. After successfully fleeing and deciding to go to a guild that a friend of hers is part of, what will she encounter there?What secrets of her descendants await her discovery?What kind of dangers will come to her?Will she find a way to survive?Or protect her loved ones?What are her powers as a mage?Will she be strong enough?
1. Prologue

**Hiya, there readers! I just came up with this interesting theme for a story and I just had to write it down. It is based off Robin Hood, so I guess I would have to put a Disclaimer. This is just a little taste to the story, By the way.**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own Fairy Tail, and I don't own Robin Hood, etc…**

 **(Jeez, sounds too formal if ya ask me…)**

 _ **= Can I Join You Now? =**_

 _ **~Prologue~**_

She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, a small hope in her chest that pushed her to move forward and not look back.

She was Lucy Heartfilia, Princess and soon-to-be Queen.

Well, _was._

Her birthplace and home, Crocus, had long since gone up in flames. Courtesy of a French guild called "Phantom Lord" that made her think, _how in God's name is that_ French?

 _No, Lucy, you should be thinking of a plan of escape, and what to do when you manage to slip away._

That is, _If_ she managed to _survive_ this.

Lucy only noticed the mistake of not looking at her surroundings and _paying attention_ , when a tall man with long, messy, black hair shouted at her.

"Don't move!" The man said with a light French accent.

Who was she to stop running? She just ran faster. Unfortunately, the man was obviously stronger and faster than she was.

Fortunately, she had managed to secretly squeeze in a few hours of physical training a week with Laxus Dreyer.

So when the creep reached her, she gave him a good kick in the balls. When he hunched forward in pain, she gave a curt nod of satisfaction and quickly took off before the Frenchman could recover.

After managing a safe kilometer of running and gasping for breath, she limped towards the forest and struggled to climb a tree. She could still see the bright flames of the fire and smoke of burnt hay. Only then, she could feel the crushing weight of loss and grief. How many had died? How many were going to be turned to slaves and tortured? How many had escaped? What was left of her once lively and cheerful home?

With a tear-stained face, she ducked back into the leaves of the tree.

"Crap."

Her ankle was in a slightly odd angle, but the pain was still to be registered as she checked for other injuries. _Well, at least I've managed to escape. I hope that Levy is alright._

Levy.

Oh, Levy. She was on her way back to Crocus from a guild or something… She had to go warn her!

 _Whelp,_ Lucy thought to herself. _I know where to go now._

"Ugh…Why is it taking so long to get there?" Lucy complained.

She was pretty sure that the travel from Crocus to Magnolia didn't take a week, but how many days would she have to continue walking?

Her feet were sore, her clothes ripped and God-who-knows-how twigs and leaves had tangled themselves into her long , disheveled, blond hair.

She had been walking for a little less than a day now, and boy, did she feel _dead_. Her vision was blurry with lack of sleep and she felt like she was going to collapse at any moment. Not only that, but the forest seemed never-ending and she feared that an animal would just jump out at any moment and gobble her all up.

A sudden vivid image of a weird creature munching on something that looked a bit too much like human legs, their feet sticking out, came to her mind.

 _Oh, Kami! What if there are actually beasts in here!?_

She groaned. Black spots were intercepting her power to see, and consciousness felt like it was slipping further and further into the back of her mind.

Lucy barely noticed the starting of an opening in the forest and a sound of surprise that came from a man with, Pink hair?

The last thing she saw was the hands of a person reaching out to grab her.

 **Well, I hope ya enjoyed it! If ya don't mind, I'd like some feedback about how it went, write in the comments if I should continue!**

 **~TheMuncher101 Is Out**


	2. Drama, Fainting and the Frenchman

_**= Can I Join You Now? =**_

 _ **~Chapter 1~**_

"Wha-?" Lucy gasped as she jolted upward.

What had happened? She was in a comfortable bed, a nightie, too. But her mind was blank.

"We found you on the verge of fainting, luckily we made it in time and you didn't face plant into soil." Lucy nearly screamed, but it was cut short by a hoarse cough that emerged from her throat.

She scrambled backward, pressing to the head board of the bed.

"Wh-who are you?! What do you want with me? Please, just leave me alone!" She was scared out of her wits. _I thought I escaped Phantom Lord! What in the name of Kami happened?!_

"Don't worry," the white-haired girl tried to console Lucy with a soft voice, "We found you passed out on the small path to our Guild-"

"Guild!? What guild is this!? You must tell me now! Or I'll, I'll-"

Lucy racked her brain to find a good enough threat, but was once again cut short, this time the wooden door that that swung open and revealed a pink-haired man.

Wait a second, Pink!? And then it all came back to her in a whole rush of emotions and memories.

And, well, she fainted again.

~.~.~.~.~

"Jeez, you faint a lot."

Lucy shot up like a springboard. _Why does she feel such deja vu? Oh, yeah. Probably because you're so boring that you have no choice but to do the same things in the same cycle again and again. No wonder._

However, this time, there was someone leaning over her, so the second she sprang up, in all her stiffness glory, her head collided with the pink-haired mysterious man. Confusion and fear were delayed by the sudden shot of pain on her forehead.

"Ouch! Why were you leaning on top of me!?"

"It's not my fault that you fainted twice in the last two hours! Seriously, who does that?"

"Maybe you would know if I gave you a punch to the sku-" Lucy was suddenly remembered of her father's strict voice.

 _It is not Lady-like to shout and voice your opinion! Be silent for once and agree_ _ **Politely!**_

Lucy slapped her hand to her mouth and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, that was incredibly impolite. If it is possible, please tell me what happened."

The man only looked at her in confusion. But told her nonetheless how she arrived here.

"Well, I found you on the verge of collapsing and reached you in time, then I brought you here and the girls treated you. The name's Natsu, by the way."

Lucy only nodded. But, _Natsu? What a unique name._ Was what she thought.

 _Do not voice your thoughts. It is incredibly rude. Learn to control that big mouth of yours._

Lucy squeezed her eyelids shut, counted to five to regain her posture and straightened her back.

"Can you please tell me where I am? If it wouldn't bother you, that is." Lucy's voice was flat and lacking emotion, to Natsu, it probably sounded dead.

"Why do you keep asking if asking questions is a bother? Jeez, feel free to ask anything. To answer your question, though, We are in the guilds infirmary. It leads straight to the guild hall, by the way."

 _He says that like I'm staying here._ There is no way that Lucy was going to stay in a guild. No matter if it could provide her of protection, a shelter, and food. A guild burned her city to ashes. There was no way she'd ever betray her home like that. No matter how appealing it sounded to stay away from the formal life.

She just needed to pinpoint where Levy's guild was. Then, no matter what would happen to her, she was going to go learn how to survive in the wilderness. It was better than doing something unfaithful to her city.

 _As a Princess, or Wife, or Queen, you must always be faithful to your land. No matter what the cost._

What was the name of Levy's guild again? Fale? Straighty Tale? Taily Fate?

"This guild is called-"

"Fairy Tail." Lucy and Natsu said in sync.

Natsu blinked, "How do you know the name of my guild?"

"This guild is Fairy Tail?"

"Yeah." Natsu responded quickly.

Lucy debated lying to this 'Natsu' guy. He seemed nice, if a bit clueless and –not to be rude- dumb.

"I came here to look for my friend. Her name is Levy."

"You know Levy? She never mentioned knowing a blonde." Now Lucy knows that Natsu is a curious person too, this is bad. He might just figure out who she is.

"Oh, she was a Librarian in my city." This was half-true, she was the Librarian of her Mansion, not city.

"Oh."

"I need to talk to her urgently. If you don't mind calling her? Please?" Lucy had forgotten about the formalness, Levy was too important.

"Ok, sure." Natsu threw those words over his shoulder as he turned the doorknob.

Lucy wasn't one for patience, especially when her friends' life is on the line, even if she had been trained her whole to hide her emotions and have a neutral poker-face, she couldn't help but fidget. Her finder continuously tapped on her thigh.

It felt like hours later when Natsu came and told her something that she barely registered.

Lucy struggled to get out of Natsu's strong hold as she pushed herself to the door, her eyes wide with panic.

"You don't understand! I have to go warn her!"

"Warn her about what? We barely know you! Why should we trust you? Huh?"

Lucy stilled for a second, apparently Natsu wasn't as dense as he acted, "This could cost her life, and I have to go stop her!" Lucy wailed and suddenly the tears couldn't stop. She didn't care if this behavior was un-Lady-Like.

" _A Princess must always be the last to die. The Royal blood-line is Impossible to replace. You-"Her father was interrupted by Layla Heartfilia, the Queen._

" _Lucy, no matter what, treasure your friends and do whatever you can to help them, or save them."_

 _This lead to an argument between the two, and her father finally snapped, and banned her mother from ever coming back to the city._

 _Lucy knew that her mother was always somewhere close by, and her heart felt heavy with the longing of the once present mother that always consoled her when the pressure was too much, rubbing soothing balls into the small of her back._

 _What she didn't understand was how her father, the man that loved her mother the most, could do something like that._

Natsu was momentarily frozen in shock and Lucy used that chance to slip out of his grip.

Lucy was still sore, but her mind was solely focused on finding Levy.

She stormed out of the infirmary and ran directly to the big double doors that she supposed were the front doors. All the way ignoring the surprised shouts of the other guild members.

"Hey!"

"What is that girl doing?"

"Gah!" Was the shout of a purple-haired man that spilt beer all over his shirt.

Lucy pushed the doors open with such force that they swung open with a noisy creak.

"Wait! Where are you going!? You're in no position to run like that!" Natsu was finally back to his senses, and came at her full-speed.

She saw a Red-Head coming in the direction of the guild-hall changing her clothing with a flash of light and running to catch up to her.

Lucy looked wildly around for a small, petit, blue haired teen, and her eyes landed on a pair that the contrast between the two was very eye-catching. Small girl, bright blue hair, orange dress, check. The other man with her look like a giraffe compared to her, Tall, with long, dark hair. He seemed a bit too familiar…

But Lucy was too worried about reaching Levy in time and not being caught by The Red-Head that looked as dangerous as a demon and Natsu that somehow was hot on her heels.

"Levy-Chan!" Lucy shouted at loud as she could. When she saw no reaction, she tried again.

"Levy-Chan!" This time Lucy was closer and Levy froze, recognition on her face obious when she saw Lucy.

"Lucy-Sama! What are you doing her-?"

Levy was finally in reach and Lucy lunged towards her, embracing her in a hug that squashed poor Levy's face into Lucy's huge bosoms.

Lucy sobbed in relief, Levy was safe.

"Lucy-Sama!? Are you Ok? I was just on my way to Crocus…? What's the matter? What happened?" Levy's face was etched with concern.

"Crocus was attacked by Phantom Lord. They burned everything! So many people-…" Lucy choked on her words.

Natsu, who had caught up and was standing next to the Red-Head, had an expression of surprise on his face.

"Shh…It's ok, Lucy-Sama. Don't worry. I'm happy I was delayed. You'll be safe here…"Levy consoled Lucy.

"Shrimp, why didn't ya tell me that we were goin' to Crocus? I knew what had happened there. I was passing by."

Lucy froze, and tensed. That voice. It sounded like _that man._

Lucy was so paralyzed in fear that she had to focus on Levy's voice to manage to steady herself.

"Um, Lucy-Sama?"

Lucy slowly stood up, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

They all tensed.

"No, no, no, no! You! You were there! And you tried to capture me!" Lucy had a fearful expression on her face. The tall man with Levy… Was the man that she had kicked in the balls. The Frenchman.

 _ **~.~.~.~.~.~**_

 _ **I hope that you guys liked this chapter! I didn't have that much time, so this came out pretty late. I know that it seems a bit OOC, but that is just the beginning, so please bare with me! I still have school, and I don't know how to typ fast, so the process is kinda slow, but anyway! I hope you enjoyed, and see ya next time!**_

 _ **~TheMuncher101, Out!**_


	3. Magic? Heart?

**Hiya Peeps! I've really enjoyed the support (even if it was so little… -..-) and I feel really guilty for not writing this chapter earlier. But the Dam Snack bar (PJO fans reading' this?) (School, for you people) was quite literally piling on my desk. And, Oh Gods, the** _ **pressure.**_ **But, yeah. I hope you can forgive me.**

 **Btw, I decided that Lucy's magic would be a little different.**

 **(I do not own FT) (Nor do I own Robin Hood [This is more involved with FT, so I dunno if I had to put that there.])**

 _ **= Can I Join You Now? =**_

 _ **~Chapter 2~**_

 _Previously…_

"No...no! You! You were there! And- and you tried to capture me!" Lucy had a fearful expression on her face. The tall man with Levy… Was that the man that she had kicked in the balls? It certainly looked like the Frenchman.

 _Lucy's PoV_

Fear quickened her breathing, and there was a lump that had her gasping for air stuck in her throat.

"Whaddya say, lady? Are ya accusing meh of burnin' a city down?" The figure towered over her, his face partly in a shadow.

That did _not_ help. _At all._

Lucy was trying to gulp in as much air as she could. And momentarily forgot where and who they were with.

 _A Lady must not sweat. She will not show any emotion._ Lucy told herself. And finally managed to calm down.

The man was looking at her with a suspicious glint in his eye, which she realized were a crimson color. _Like the blood of my people that stain his hands._

He watched her with both eyes like a predator when she stood up. Her posture as straight as a wooden board.

She bowed.

"My apologies, sir. I mistook you for someone else." Lucy's voice was flat and emotionless. It gave poor Levy, which was ridged with a confused fear, a barely noticeable but sad smile. Her friend- no, her Majesty, never liked the status she was born in. But she sure played her role well.

When the intimidating man acknowledged her apology, he smirked.

"Hey, Firecracker. This girl's got more guts than you ever had." The teasing grin certainly did not fit the alert and menacing aura that seemed to radiate off him.

And before Natsu could retort, he was cut short by the movement of the man that Lucy would soon to know to be called 'Gajeel'.

Lucy had turned to Levy and was about to kneel down when a strong, iron-grip came on her shoulder.

~.~.~.~.~

"What do ya want with Levy?" It was a command. Lucy noted that he was very protective of her small, blue-haired friend.

"I need to tell her something." Lucy explained, and with surprising strength, nudged his hand off her shoulder. She did not trust him. And would rather not have _his_ hands on her.

At least not until she knew the truth. And who to trust.

Well, at least Lucy had Levy, right?

The young man let her go grudgingly. He too did not know who to trust. He too only trusted Levy. The two had more in common than they would ever think possible.

"Levy-Chan. You must not tell them my identity. Please. I beg this of you." Lucy's voice was too close to cracking for her taste.

Levy nodded in understanding. She just barely managed to conceal the guilt on her face.

Lucy let a sigh of relief escape her. She felt more at ease now.

"I suppose you will be staying?" A certain long-haired red head asked out of the blue. The sound of her voice had jolted Natsu back to reality. Curiosity took over the young man like a disease.

"Oh, yeah. Are ya gonna join the guild or somethin'?" He asked.

"I might stay here a while. But I cannot guarantee you that it will be long enough to join." Lucy turned to Levy, "By the way, what kind of guild is Fairy Tail? Is it a merchant guild or something?" Lucy felt like she was asking too many questions, as the echo of her father's voice was haunting her very speedy mind.

Levy looked up, surprised. "Lucy- san, you don't know? Fairy Tail is a mage guild."

"Mage? As in Magic? I've only heard about mages and their guilds in books…" Lucy was more than astonished. The little emotion showing gave a by-standing –or sitting- Levy a small smile.

"Yes, we use magic. But it isn't the fairytale magic you may be thinking. There's no bibbity-bobbity-boo in this section of the Library." The red head that answered her question gave Lucy the shivers. She looked more intimidating than the suspicious man. And certainly acted it.

"My name is Erza Scarlet. I have almost reached twenty years, My magic is Re-equip. It allows me to call out any armors and/or weapons from a personal storage –call it a space- that I have. I can call anything as long as I have enough magic energy to do so. It is a type of Celestial Magic, but not the original one." Lucy unconsciously corrected her posture at the formal tone Erza used. She listened closely. Drinking in the useful information; in case anything goes wrong. Blackmail was a stronger weapon than thought. But she couldn't help and wonder what she meant by it 'not being the Original Celestial Magic'.

"Natsu. Introduce yourself." Erza's commanding tone was one of a leader, and Natsu immediately complied. But not before a shiver ran through him.

"The name's Natsu Dragneel. Nineteen, I'm a Fire-Dragon Slayer, trained with Igneel. I have absolute control over fire. By the way, Luigi, if you hurt a friend or family of mine, there will be no mercy." Natsu cackled, the threat at the end would have been more frightening if he weren't such a lazy and hyper person. Lucy raised an eyebrow at the 'Fire-Dragon Slayer', but let it slip.

"It's Lucy. _Not_ Luigi." Lucy muttered under her turned to the hulking man.

"…" Was Gajeel's response when he noticed Lucy's attention was on him. He only started to talk when Erza elbowed him in the side of his stomach, with a strength of five men that had him clutching his side and swearing under his breath.

"Jeez, Erza, chill. I was only thinkin'." Gajeel sent a glare in said red-heads direction, only to be countered by one that put his unusually long hair on end.

"Gah, all right. I'm Gajeel Redfox, Nineteen, Iron-Dragon Slayer, I'd rather not tell you what I can do," He stood tall against the second glare directed to him, his mind was set, "You hurt Shrimp and I hurt you."

Lucy nodded in understanding, but knew that if he hurt her, it would be for a completely different reason, because she would only do her best to _protect_ Levy.

Lucy turned to Levy, "Levy-Chan, what kind of mage are you?" Lucy finally relaxed, she felt certain that a guild Levy talked about so fondly, was a guild that wouldn't think of hurting an innocent person like her. That is, if they deemed her harmless.

And besides, Levy had a soothing aura that made Lucy think of her mother.

"Oh! That's right! You don't know. I'm what you call a 'Solid-Script' Mage. I write a word in mid-air and they become solid. So, if I write 'Iron', for example," Lucy watched in wonder as the word 'Iron' was written and materialized into a big, solid bar, and looked at Levy, "This happens."

"But, what if you were to write something like 'Fire'? What would happen?"

What Lucy didn't expect was the word 'Fire', that was now very solid and real, to actually turn into a flame.

Neither did she expect to see a predator-eyed Natsu inhale the flames. She glanced back at the Iron bar but only found a small piece –the last one, apparently- being thrown into Gajeel's mouth.

Lucy gaped, "Does this have something to do with their 'Dragon Slaying' power?! I don't know why, but I don't think that Erza-san would eat her suits of armor, am I right?" The word 'Magic' had a new meaning to it now. It was, well, _Magical. Amazing. Mythical._

Levy bobbed her head, the movements a little sloppy because of the sudden drain of magic because of using two spells, one after the other, and not only that, but she had used a stronger spell; the cost of magic energy was higher.

"The 'Dragon Slaying' magic is a unique one, it is close to extinction and just a few are capable to wield it. I've heard of people turning into Dragons because of too much use or lack of control. It is very dangerous for people who weren't born with the ability, and still quite risky for those who were born with it." Levy gestured to Natsu and Gajeel.

Lucy nodded.

"Can you sense someone else's magic? Are you able to sense any magic energy coming from me?" Lucy wanted a way to protect herself, to be able to take care of herself.

This time, Erza satisfied her curiosity, "Yes, we can sense magic from other people. In fact, trackers or sensory-type mages have a sharper kind of magic energy that specializes in sensing other mages. You can also train yourself to cover or recognize magic, so that you can sneak in a place or track mages. To answer your other question, I do not know. I can sense something from you, but I am not certain if it is magic or not. Curious indeed." Erza's facial expression was one of puzzlement. What was this that she was feeling?

Levy raised an eyebrow. She- nor Natsu or Gajeel judging from their expressions – managed to sense anything from Lucy.

"Perhaps it was sealed, or it is Stellar magic, that might be why only you can sense it, Erza." Levy finally concluded, and turned to Lucy, "Lucy-san, do you have like a birthmark that looks a bit special, in a certain shape or unique shape? It is possible that it is a seal."

Lucy frowned in thought.

"I have this."

Levy let a mild gasp of surprise at the heart-shaped patch of darker skin on the back of her right hand. And reached out to inspect it, but drew her hand back in, as if it would disappear if anything went into contact with it.

"Lucy!? Why didn't you tell anyone of this?"

Said blonde's face hardened. "I was always wearing gloves, no one knows of it. With the exception of Mama." Lucy barely held back a wince, "Why, is it of importance?"

"Lucy-san-"

"Please, just call me Lucy, or Lu." She wondered how it would feel, to be nicknamed…

"Well, Lu-chan," Her heart warmed and softened at the little chirp Levy said her name with. "As you know, I know a lot about anything because of working in the library. I read many books on seals; magical seals in particular. There was one of a secret family, a blood-line that made amazing seals. The family was called the Heart blood-line. And every single seal of theirs was locked with a heart-shaped birthmark look-alike that would appear in a place of importance to the future on the body of the person."

Lucy was confused, Levy's eyes were sparkling with a light that either meant smart mischief or happiness of knowing something incredible; of sharing a wondrous information. She steeled herself for what was to come.

"It can only be cast by a direct descendant, and the Heart family is known for golden blond hair and living in the city of Crocus. Lucy, I think your mother was a Heart."

Her heart skipped a beat.

 **And again, I'm really sorry for the delay! I have to take a plane in a couple of hours and might not be able to post the next chapter within the next week, but I promise that I'll work on it! I finally have a week off from school and it will be spent reading the two books that I have to read and working on the next chapter, and hopefully, if my parents don't drag me out every single day for hours on end, I will manage to complete it and post it.**

 **~The Muncher 101, Out~**


	4. Sensei, Seals, Layla and Hospital Gowns

**Hello, there, readers who probably waited more than a week for this update. I am sorry, but I went on Holidays to another country. Life keeps moving on, ya know? Anyways, I'll be writing this during that 'free' week and I do not know when this will be out. It depends on how much time I have and if I get an adrenaline rush (for writing, okay? I weird, so bare with me, please.)**

 **Sorry in advance if this is late. Yup. That's all. On with the next chapter!**

 _Previously..._

 _Her heart skipped a beat._

 _Lucy's PoV. (Limited-Third person)_

"What do you mean by that?! I- I do not recall my mother forming any sort of seal on me. And she would tell me of it!" Lucy's voice was octave higher than normal, and she was too panicked to care or notice Natsu and Gajeel wincing and covering their ears.

"Calm down, Lu-chan!" Levy grabbed Lucy by her shoulders and steadied the frantic blonde. "The Heart family's seals are of the most powerful in existence; Their seals jobs are so amazing that they last more than a life-time. If my theory is correct," Levy's grip loosened along with the softening of her eyes. "Then your mother made the seal on you when you were a young girl. No wonder your parents didn't say anything about mages."

"But I know my mother. She would have taught me how to control my magic, she would have taught me how to make seals." Lucy countered, refusing to accept Levy's idea.

Levy sighed. Lucy sure had a strong opinion, and didn't seem to want to give up on it. Levy leaned in to whisper to Lucy, and it was so quiet that even the Dragon Slayers had trouble comprehending what the bluenette said.

"Do you really think the king would allow a person to learn magic? It would give that person the ability to take the throne. Why would letting a woman use it be any different? I suspect he didn't know what your mother was capable of, Lucy."

A shiver ran up her spine. Lucy couldn't help but agree with Levy, she remembered her earliest memory, and even then it was not much of a pleasant one. Only at times, like when she was alone with her mother, were they happy and joyful. Lucy knew that her mother was alive, and she would bet her life that she grew even wiser than she already was.

* * *

 _A six year old Lucy was knocking on the door of her fathers study, a big and heavy book clutched tightly in a circular form on her right arm. She waited for the usual 'come in' from her father as she re-adjusted the book so that it wouldn't hurt her tiny body. When the permission was granted, she pushed the door open with her free arm, trembling slightly at the effort._

 _After standing in the middle of the room and bowing, she asked her stoic faced father a question,_

 _"Hey, papa? Does magic exist in this world?"_

 _Her fathers head snapped up, a dangerous expression on his face that told her to back down and pretend she never read a book about mages and magic._

 _"What are you talking about!? There is no such thing! Little girl, if I hear one more word of magic out of you, then-" The threat suddenly stopped as a pale, delicate hand came down on the shoulder of said king._

 _"I'll take care of this, your Majesty." Layla Heartfilia's voice was soft, kind and melodious. The scared and tensed little blonde girl that bore an identical resemblance to her mother immediately relaxed at the feeling of calm and peace that followed her mother everywhere she went. Lucy almost sighed in relief._

 _Jude wore an extremely rare facial expression of love or admiration; one that he only wore when Layla was around. Once in a while, Lucy would get the same look from her father, but it had a hint of pride in it. She never seemed to notice it._

 _~.~.~.~.~_

 _"Don't mind your father, the work of a king is tough, and it tends to get stressing. My little Angel, if you believe that magic does exist, then so be it. It is not our choice to chose who you are, you must find yourself and do what your heart tells you to. Although, it is not bad to use your brain," Layla poked Lucy's temples with both her index fingers at the same time. As Lucy went cross eyed, Layla laughed at the funny face, "Once in a while."_

 _"Hey mama," Lucy looked up at her mother with wide, chocolate brown eyes from her place in between Layla's legs. "what would I do if I found out that I had magic? Papa seemed angry at the mention of it.."_

 _Layla looked at her daughter with a worry-some expression, "My Angel. We must hope that you find it out in a way that your father won't know, and it will happen so, because hope goes hand in hand with Love. And Love surpasses all. You must remember this, Lucy. And know that no matter what happens, I will always love you. That is what makes me strong and gives me the will to keep moving forward."_

 _The young girl didn't know it then, but she certainly felt that there was something wrong, so she gave her mother a tight hug, and clung onto her until she fell asleep to the melody that her dear mother sang._

 _Layla Heart, the direct descendant of the Heart family, knew that soon she would have to leave her daughter. and just a month before the young Princess turned eight, Layla departed from the Palace, forever lurking in the forest where she will meet a curious creature..._

* * *

"Hey! Luigi! What the Hell are you and Levy whisperin' about?" Natsu's loud voice broke her stream of thoughts, and she frowned, not wanting to leave the sanctuary that was her mind, the place full of the last bits and pieces of her mother.

"It's Lucy! And you don't need to know!" Lucy felt bad for shouting at the guy, but she felt loose, free. _No need to be all stiff and formal around here_ , she thought to herself.

"Finally, the puppet shows some emotion! Okay, Luce! Let's go get you settled!" The dense idiot just turned around and started heading for the guild.

"Hey! I'm no puppet! and I never said that I'd be joining!" Lucy was a little annoyed, the guy had no care in anything she said.

Ants stopped mid step. "Well, you'll be staying here until you decide, right?" He threw her a questioning look.

Lucy sighed, defeated. "Yes, I suppose. Is there any services I can do to repay the stay?" She directed the question to either Erza or Levy, knowing that she would get no response from Gajeel and Natsu would be too distracted to answer her.

"You can help Mira as a barmaid? You could serve drinks? I guess you can talk to Master Makarov." Levy was quicker to answer, but Erza looked like she was planning to offer the same thing, as she nodded at the suggestions.

Lucy nodded satisfied. But there was one more thing troubling her.

"Levy-chan, knowing you," She gave a pointed look at the short teen. "you'll be in the library in the next 10 minutes, tops, looking for a way to unseal the heart on my hand. Since this is my fault in the first place, and you have to investigate, I want you to promise me that you'll only look for the solution in the guild library-" Lucy guessed that there was a library in the huge structure. "-in the afternoon, and you have to call me to search with you. These are my terms."

Levy pouted. "But Lu~chan. How could yo-"

"No buts. You will not do this alone, day and night." Lucy said sternly.

Levy sweat-dropped, "A-aye, ma'am..."

Lucy was happy, she would be spending time with a friend, in the library, reading on magic. _Wow, I never thought my life would change... It's just like you said, mama._ Lucy thought with a small smile.

Lucy was about to enter the guild and follow an impatient Natsu to go to the Master of Fairy Tail's office, when a hand grabbed her arm in a- literally -armor-like grip. Lucy yelped at the sudden gust of wind that made her hair go _swish_ and the cold, iron covered hand that wrapped around her hand tightly. She knew who it was without looking at the person.

"Erza-san? What is it?"

Said red-head sighed and released Lucy. "I'm sorry. Please, just call me Erza. I wanted to help you train. I can see the will to fight and protect Levy and any survivors of your city from harm in your eyes. And- I don't know why I could feel what ever magic you have inside of you, but I am a more curious person than you can imagine. I also want to take the opportunity to make a new friend. Will you let me be your sensei?" The normally proud and brave warrior was fidgeting and was blushing. Lucy then realized that Erza wasn't the type of person to just offer something as big as that out of the blue. It must be very important for her. Lucy, with the inherited sympathy and empathy from her kind and gracious mother, accepted without a doubt. _I'll be making a new friend and training. It would be like killing two birds with one stone._ Lucy was looking forward to it, and it was easy to tell with the gin on her face. She swore that Natsu's attitude was contagious.

"Of course, Erza. I would be honored. Please train me, and lets become the best of friends."

Erza smiled in relief. She was going to do her best to make a strong friendship with this mysterious magic girl. And prepare her for the outside world. She wouldn't want Lucy to end up like her...

~.~.~.~.~

Just a few hours ago, Lucy was suspicious of every person. She never thought that she could find a place where she was just another member of the boisterous crowd. It made her giddy and she felt like giggling until her stomach hurt so much it would be hard to breathe.

And now, being dragged by a Natsu that was making sure that Erza wasn't looking to snatch Lucy away and take her to the Master, Lucy had second thoughts of not joining the guild. Maybe, just maybe she would finally become just Lucy, and not Lucy Heartfilia, Princess of Crocus.

~.~.~.~.~

But then she realized that she had been in a short, almost see-through hospital gown this whole time, she decided to blame it on the pink-haired boy for not warning her, because she might as well have been in underwear, with the small rips from running in it when it fit her body a little _too much_. It was obvious that this guild was full of pedophiles and perverts.

"NATSU! GIVE ME YOUR TUNIC NOW!"

* * *

 **I had to put the little humor in the end... It just isn't Fairy Tail without it.**

 **See~? This chapter came super fast! The inspiration just flew through me! I literally wrote this in three hours. lol, I thought it was going to take three _days._ Whelp, Imma go try and write the Fourth chapter now. C ya~!**

 **~The Muncher 101, Out~!**


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